Fireflies
by Drachegirl14
Summary: One-shot response to the Abduction Challenge on kakasaku FC. Did you know you could wish on a firefly? ShinoSaku


**Drachegirl14: I know, I know, why the hell aren't you updating PRE or OSOM?**

**I found a nice challenge I wanted to participate in, and there was no ShinoSaku love, so I volunteered my services. **

**This one goes to the wonderful people at the KakashiSakura FC. Thanks so much for the welcome guys!**

**Pairing: Shino/Sakura**

**Warnings: FLUFF . . . no smut, but pure fluffy fluff for the sake of fluffy fluff**

**Summary: Did you know that you could wish on a firefly?**

**Universe: Alternate Reality – meaning certain canon things happen, and some don't . . . coughSakuralovingSasukecough**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, the hot guys of Naruto would suffer from the disease where they don't wear shirts. Ever. Excuse me as I drool.**

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The park was nearly deserted now. The late summer heat had only slightly lessened in Konoha, and the residents were certainly feeling it. Even as the large sun sank behind the horizon, allowing the dark blanket of night to slowly cover the sky and leaving behind red rays of the promise to return tomorrow, the heat and humidity refused to abate, slinking through the air and permeating household after household.

Many residents remained inside their homes, despite this, and had their windows thrown open, in hopes of tempting the small and nearly nonexistent zephyrs into their abodes. It failed however; the zephyrs seemed content to twist lazily in the streets, blowing up a patch of dust here and there as they meandered through the empty streets, coming to rest in the park.

It wasn't very large or very small – it was just a medium sized park. A jungle gym, two swing sets, a sand box, a merry go round, and a teeter totter, all barren of life, stood in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by large trees on all sides. Benches dotted the immaculate walkways, but tonight they remained empty.

All except for one little girl in the sandbox.

Her brilliant pink hair shone through the creeping darkness, illuminated by the soft street lights now beginning to gleam as they turned on, one after the other. She sat dejectedly, her dark blue top succeeding in blending her torso in with the grass that was losing its green color to the moon. Her pale face was sad and weary, as her hands moved mechanically over the sand, forming it and shaping it.

She seemed so sad and alone.

Maybe that was why he stopped.

Six year old Aburame Shino furrowed his eyebrow behind his glasses. He wore a large heavy coat that made his mother coo and say he looked just like his father, dark sunglasses his father said were the trademark of every Aburame shinobi, and his favorite dark blue shorts. He had been walking home after going to give their civilian cousins a message from his mother, and had spotted the only other human who had dared to venture out from their respective den.

His hidden eyes perused her sad form, and with an inaudible sigh, he directed his feet to the side of the sandbox.

He thought this girl looked familiar – she was the quiet pink haired girl that sat in the back with him during class at the Academy, before the Kunoichi had to go to their lessons.

He stopped short of the sandbox, watching as the girl flinched when she finally heard his footsteps. Slowly, large viridian doe eyes turned up to his face, and he was a little surprised to see fear and tears run rampant across them, visible as the sun in the sky.

" . . . Are you okay?" He asked her quietly.

She sniffled and wiped her eyes with one hand and nodded, her hands stopping what they were doing.

He cocked his head to the side, "Why were you crying, Sakura-san?"

Sakura looked startled. "Y-you know m-my name?"

"You sit in the back of the class with me," Shino explained.

Sakura sighed, and ruffled her bangs forward. That was right, Shino remembered. He'd heard about the nasty little girls that would pick on her forehead. He personally saw nothing wrong with it – it was just a forehead. "Oh . . . I'm sorry Shino-san, I'm okay."

He eyed her for a long while, then glanced up at the sky. "It's late. Mother will be worried for me . . ." He hesitantly turned to look at her. His mother had told him that it wasn't safe for children to be running around after dark without their parents. He had his kikaichuu to protect him, even if he couldn't control them yet, but this little girl . . .

"Ooohhh, look Shino-san!" Sakura broke into his musings as she pointed out into the grass surrounding the sandbox, "A firefly!"

Shino turned his head and sure enough, its little light flickering on and off, a small firefly hovered just outside the sandbox. " . . ."

"I like fireflies," Sakura explained, gazing at the insect. "They always remind me of happy things."

Shino turned a questioning glance on her, one that Sakura couldn't see but interpreted as curiosity anyways. "My daddy, before he took my mommy's happiness away . . . he used to take me to the large field just outside the gates . . ." Her gaze turned wistful and longing. "He and I would stay there until the stars came out and there'd be ten million fireflies out! Then me and him would try to catch them . . . in our hands. Daddy said that if I made a wish, and then let it go, it would come true someday . . ."

Shino briefly remembered the hubbub that had been caused in the merchant Haruno clan . . . something about the patriarch running off with the village tramp or something. His parents hadn't paid much attention to it.

Sakura's eyes filled with tears, "But . . . I never could catch one . . ."

Shino sighed internally before trying to focus like his father had taught him. He closed his eyes and concentrated hard, feeling that odd energy within him his dad called chakra. When he felt he had a grasp on it, he then imagined the firefly in his mind . . .

A soft gasp was what he heard and when he opened his eyes, the little firefly had approached Sakura, and she reached out, taking the firefly from the air and into her palm softly, without closing her fingers. Transfixed, the pink haired girl lifted her hand to look right into the eyes of the firefly. In a whisper, one Shino could barely hear, she said, "I wish . . . I wish I had just one friend. Please firefly-san? Just one friend . . ."

Shino released his control, feeling suddenly drained and tired and just in general more weary as the firefly buzzed its wings and flew away. Silence reigned as Sakura watched it go, until the little light could no longer be seen.

Her soft green eyes turned to his, "Shino-san, I'm sorry for taking up your time . . ."

Shino held her gaze, and figured it must be the tiredness that was making him think . . . making him hope he could be her friend. He was just as lonely – his clan wasn't exactly accepted socially among their peers, for their tenants were a little unusual. Many people, as a result, shunned them and, unless they were on missions, had a tendency to ignore them or just be downright mean (he'd found a squashed spider in his desk not two weeks ago . . . it sent a powerful message to the little bug user).

So . . . so maybe, this little girl, with her firefly wishes, maybe she could be his friend?

Perhaps that firefly had granted his own wish too . . .

"No, it's all right," his mother's words about it being dangerous for children after dark, and his own tiredness (and crazy thoughts) prompted him to ask, "Sakura-san, may I have the honor of walking you home?" He extended one hand.

Sakura blinked large eyes at him, as though she could hardly believe it. Slowly and carefully, as though he might suddenly yank his hand away, she raised her own hand and timidly placed it in his own.

He closed his fingers gently over hers and tugged her up and out of the sand, helping her out into the grass, and then quietly walked home with her.

As they walked up the stone cobbled path to the porch, lined with sweet smelling flowers that drooped under the oppressive weight of the humidity still hanging in the air, Sakura gave him a big smile, one that he hadn't really seen on her face before.

"Thanks again Shino-san, for walking me home," Sakura said, waving. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

The door opened and Sakura was swept into the house by her mother, who gave Shino a distracted thank you as she pulled her daughter into the warm looking front hallway.

He returned home, a little sad because he wanted to be friends with the little girl, but knowing that by tomorrow, she would've probably forgotten all about him.

Imagine his surprise when, the next morning in class, she sat down in the desk next to him, gave him that big smile, and said, "Hello Shino-san!"

He was a little stunned that she would greet him so enthusiastically, but responded nevertheless, "Good morning Sakura-san. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm okay," Her green eyes were free of the tears he'd seen last night. "Guess what Shino-san?"

"What Sakura-san?"

"I saw a really pretty butterfly on the way here this morning! It had gold and brown colored wings, like the fall time when all the leaves turn color? And it was really big!" Sakura held her hands apart to indicate its size, "See?"

Shino nodded his head once, "It sounds like a Monarch; it's pretty common around these parts, but you're right, it is a beautiful insect."

Sakura grinned and turned forward when Iruka-sensei rapped his knuckles on the desk to start class.

As the weeks began to fade to months, Shino and Sakura began to talk more and more in class, and Shino found himself remembering everything that happened between the two of them.

For example, his birthday was in early September. When he had mentioned this to Sakura, the next day at school, he'd found a small, handmade card sitting on his desk, wishing him a happy birthday. He remembered finding her often at night in the park, and eventually came to learn that those nasty girls kept picking on her. He would walk her home and sometimes she would chatter at him and he'd find a kind of soothing cadence in her voice, something he was beginning to find very nice and something he wanted to keep.

The first time she'd tripped and scrapped her knee, and tears had welled up, and he'd tugged her to a small area of the playground where no one could see her cry; he'd gone to get a band aid for her and returned to see her gazing at another firefly she'd found on a small bloom of Queen Anne's Lace. The first time she laughed out loud at something he'd said, and her laughter reminded him of the amused hum of his mother's kikaichuu. The gentle blush when she'd given him his actual birthday gift, a scroll on rare insects around the Konoha area.

Then there were the times her eyes would light up – for example the time he had asked her to get some ice cream with him and his mother; it had been a treat for him finally managing to control his insects for a brief amount of time outside his body. Or the time when he'd given a near inaudible chuckle, and her silly grin had grown even wider.

The now seven year old had examined these times in his head, over and over, replaying his memories as he fell asleep.

He was thrilled to come to the conclusion that he had a friend, and a good one – usually Sakura spent most of her school time with him, and he found that whenever he really wanted to do something, to get out of the Aburame compound, he could spot her in the street, making her way towards the gates of his ancestral home.

Not wanting her to go through the slightly terrifying process of kikaichuu crawling all over her skin, he would often appear in front of her, jumping from his window to the roof, to the large apple tree that was gnarled and twisted with age, growing near the wall, then to the street. She had gasped the first time he appeared, but over the year had grown used to it.

Shino often found himself wondering what would happen if he lost her, whether she decided to not be his friend or otherwise. Still, he tried not to think about it, especially when he was with her.

One day, in the early fall of the school year, he had found she now sported a pretty red ribbon among her bright pink locks. When he inquired about it, she gave him a dazzling smile and said she had another friend, Yamanaka Ino, who had given it to her.

Nothing essentially changed between the two of them, except he found that his time with her was slowly growing shorter and shorter. She wasn't any less pleasant to him, and she still spent the majority of her school time with him, but he found that whenever he looked out his window, he saw she wasn't there. The times he went to the park at sunset, she wasn't there.

Whenever he walked around Konoha, hoping to find her somewhere, hoping to catch a glimpse of the brilliant pale locks of his best friend . . . there was nothing.

It seemed she was slipping away from him, because soon after that, she began to spend most of her time with Ino and Ino's friends – she still said hi to him in the mornings and would chat with him between topics Iruka-sensei tried to teach them, but her free time, that was slowly going to Ino.

Shino didn't like that. He didn't want her to go away. She was his best friend, possibly his only friend, and he didn't want those treasured memories to stop. One night, as he stared out into the black starry sky, he spotted a firefly hovering near his window. Opening the glass, he raised his hand towards the little insect and it flew onto his hand.

Feeling a strange surge of desperation, he whispered to the bug, "Little firefly-san, please, bring my Sakura back to me. I want my best friend back."

The firefly flicked its wings as the little light flashed once, twice, three times, before it fluttered away, leaving Shino alone in the quiet darkness.

His wish, however, came true.

It was late fall, a month after his birthday (he'd gotten a card from Sakura, and small sugar cookies shaped like butterflies), and he was sitting in the shade of a cherry blossom tree, on a cracked stone bench, against the wall of the recess yard. Many children were running around, playing tag, racing up and down the area, laughing and screaming and playing . . .

When he saw a flash of pink hair being pushed around. There, on the opposite side of the yard, was Sakura, being pushed around by three older girls and two older boys.

They sneered and mocked her as she was shoved between them, and she was clearly afraid; even from this distance, he could almost see the tears welling up in her large green eyes.

He was on his feet and across the yard before he knew what was happening. His eyes followed the second boy's hand as he dug his fingers into her hair and then yanked, taking away the pretty red ribbon.

"Hey!" Sakura cried, "W-wait! That's my ribbon!"

The boy, laughing, took off a little ways away, as the other boy held her back and the three older girls simply laughed like harpies, taunting and clawing verbally at Sakura.

His blood boiled when the boy tore the ribbon, spit on it, then ground it into the dirt, effectively destroying it. Sakura began to wail in earnest, trying to get to the thing that was her special present from Ino, but before she could, the teacher called them back to class. Snatching the precious ribbon away from the ground, the first boy laughed as their group moved into the building, leaving behind a very unhappy Sakura and a very angry Shino.

She hiccupped, fighting back sobs as she turned to look at him, her small form trembling even now.

Shino didn't hesitate. His arms lifted and opened just a fraction of an inch, but it was enough. A pink blur hurled itself into his arms, crying against his chest, and he uncomfortably put his arms around her in a hug. She clung to him, crying over her lost ribbon, her emotional wounds, and her general unhappiness and loneliness.

He wasn't sure what to do; he'd never comforted anyone before. Remembering how his mother had stroked his back one day when he'd gotten sick, he attempted to mimic her motions, rubbing small circles on her back as he contented himself to this role. Maybe he couldn't have his best friend back, but he'd be here for her.

That was the least he could do, for giving him something precious, her friendship.

**

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**"It's been a long time, huh?" The thirteen year old girl asked Shino as he sat next to her on the swings.

The four years between the bullying incident and now had passed rather quickly, but not without pain.

Shino had, in the aftermath, soothed Sakura down to the point where she could go inside and not look like a blubbering little two year old. Immediately after school, Shino had gone to a small stall off to the side of the street, near the gates to his home. He purchased a small red ribbon, thinner than the one from before, with small pink butterflies on it.

He'd left it on her desk the next morning, and was delighted to see her wear it every day from then on.

She hadn't followed the Uchiha craze, like her friend Ino or the majority of other girls in the Academy – rather, she seemed to be trying to evenly divide her time between Ino and himself.

He liked that she was remembering him now. It brought a warm feeling to his chest.

Still, there were times when she seemed to forget him, times when he'd go two to three weeks without . . . what was the phrase? Hanging out? Yes that was it, hanging out with her.

Now was one such time.

They had just graduated the Academy, and become Genin. He had the sudden urge to return to the park, and found her there, idly pushing herself back and forth on the swing, eyes glazed over in the way he knew led to far off memories.

"We first became friends here, remember?" Sakura whispered. "I was sitting in the sandbox, crying over those hurtful words . . . and you came along, and then the firefly . . ." She paused and then smiled at him, her bright warm one that always made his heart skip a beat for some reason. "I think my wish was granted that very night, y'know?"

Shino inclined his head. He had grown much more stoic, becoming more reserved like the people of his clan, but he still opened up and spoke with her . . . just not as much. "Indeed," he hesitated, "When you first began to be friends with Yamanaka-san, I . . . also made a wish."

She gave him a quizzical glance, one that made her eyes sparkle in an appealing way. His breath hitched slightly, but he plowed on, turning his head so he wouldn't have to look at her.

He felt strangely shy and vulnerable in this moment, but he steeled his resolve and turned his head back, "I felt like you . . . were slipping away. I had come to treasure your friendship very much; it was . . . special to me. I did not like that you were not there as much as you had been. I was . . . scared. I thought I was going to lose you as you drifted away." He swallowed nervously, shoving it away. He was an Aburame, he did not get nervous. "I saw a firefly hovering outside my window one night, and I opened it. The firefly flew to my hand and landed, like yours had with you." He licked his lips, thankful for the high collar of his jacket which would not allow her to see the motion, "I made a wish. I . . . wished that you would come back to me."

Sakura was silent, watching him with an unreadable expression. As the seconds ticked on, her lips finally grew to a warm, gentle smile, one that made his heart skip several beats. Her hand rose of its own accord and gently covered his, timidly, the way she had placed her hand in his so long ago. The vulnerability seemed to vanish and a different feeling, something like relief and elation raced through his body as her grip tightened a bit, squeezing his hand reassuringly.

His insects could sense his strangely joyous mood and responded, buzzing and humming a bit inside his body. One particularly curious kikaichuu crawled out from his sleeve, up his hand and onto her, sensing the air and tasting this creature that had their host so riled.

He paled, if that were possible, when he spotted the insect settling itself onto her hand, and Sakura's eyes followed his gaze. She didn't panic, as he expected. Rather, she just smiled wider and said, with a mischievous twinkle in her eye, "Hello Buggy-san."

The kikaichuu let out a strange high chirping noise, have found the girl's chakra and finding it to be delicious. It chirped again before finally responding to Shino's desperate mental probes, encouraging the little one back down his coat and into his body.

Sakura's eyes were amused, "So that's why you like bugs so much Shino? Because you have a summoning contract with them?"

He cleared his throat, cursing the sudden lump that was there. "It's . . . it's not exactly a . . . a summoning contract."

She waited patiently, but he shook his head, "My clan . . . it's kind of a . . . I really want to . . ."

She giggled slightly, standing up. He followed her lead, noting that she didn't let go of his hand. His eyes perused her form, finding it to be blossoming beautifully. Although her hitai ate took the place of the once abducted ribbon and twice gifted present's place, nestled among her beautiful locks, he thought he spotted the little tail pinned to the inside of her dress.

He couldn't see it though, and he decided to leave it alone for now.

Their hands remained intertwined as they walked the streets of Konoha in silence, simply enjoying the night air and the pleasant balm of each other's presence. He walked her to her door, and she gave him another dazzling smile, standing on tip toes to reach his cheek and kissing it gently. "Arigato, Shino-kun."

She entered her home and he could faintly hear her mother scolding her. His cheek tingled where she had kissed him, and he realized that his hand had lifted and was touching the place where her lips had brushed against his skin. He turned on his heel, sharply, and strode down the street; his strides looked normal, but those that knew him well (in this case, his mother, father, or Sakura) would see his stride was a bit longer, and there was a nearly imperceptible bounce in his step as he wove through the dark and empty streets of his home village.

As Shino returned home and was promptly scolded by his own mother, he couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, this would start something new, special . . . and it all started with a wish on a firefly.

**

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****So it's only about half as long as OSOM chapters, but I think it's cute.**

**The reason Sakura knew about summoning contracts – I figured they'd at least touch on different types of things in the Academy, if only briefly, and so it was logical for her to make that jump. Remember, Sakura is smart, and she does know a lot of stuff.**

**Read and review!**


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